The ninth year of the Global Visions Film Series will begin tonight at UND with the movie "Days of Glory," a look at the contributions made by North African troops who fought for France during World War II.
The film series, sponsored by the UND Department of Anthropology, will feature nine films in all shown through May 9. All will begin at 7 p.m. at the UND Memorial Union Lecture Bowl. Admission is a suggested $1 donation, and the public is welcome.
Global Visions will partner with the UND Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies on March 21 to present "Question One," a documentary on the battle for same-sex marriage in America. The Global Visions Film Series will help support the upcoming Holocaust Memorial Museum exhibit "Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals: 1933-1945," March 1-25 in UND Memorial Union. The series also is collaborating with the UND Era Bell Johnson Multicultural Center and the new interim director Melika Carter, a news release said.
Here's information about each of the movies.
- Tonight: "Days of Glory" (2006). The original French title is "Indigenes," a term for hundreds of thousands of "indigenous" colonial African soldiers who fought for France in World War II. The soldiers fought with courage against a backdrop of small and large indignities: French soldiers got better food, time for leave, and promotions. The film follows four soldiers from Algeria to Morocco, through Italy to Provence, and finally to a village in Alsace, where they station themselves in anticipation of joining the invading Allied troops. Nominated for best foreign-language Oscar; winner of special acting ensemble, Cannes Film Festival. Director: Rachid Bouchareb. (2:00) Rated R for war violence and brief language.
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- Feb. 22: "Boycott" (HBO 2001). Black Americans led by Martin Luther King Jr. and others boycott public buses in Montgomery, Ala., during the 1950s civil rights movement. This film reveals King, who was 26 at the time, as noble but human, with feelings and weaknesses. Jeffrey Wright gives a powerful performance in the lead role. The film's documentary-style approach gives "Boycott" an almost eerie sense of realism. With Terrence Howard, CCH Pounder. Director: Clark Johnson. (1:58) Rated PG for thematic material and some language
- Feb. 29: "Precious" (2009). In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction. Precious has been abused by her mother, raped by her father and has grown up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. With Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton. Director: Lee Daniels. (1:49) Rated R for child abuse including sexual assault, and pervasive language
- March 5: "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" (2009, TV). Irena Sendler, a social worker who was part of the Polish underground during World War II, was arrested by the Nazis for saving the lives of nearly 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw ghetto. With Anna Paquin, Marcia Gay Harden, Goran Visnjic. Director: John Kent Harrison. (1:35) Not rated
- March 21: "Question One" (2011 documentary). On May 6, 2009, Maine became the first state in the country to legislatively grant same-sex couples the right to marry. Seven months later, on Nov. 3, Maine reversed that ruling, becoming the 31st state in the country to say "no" to gay and lesbian marriage. "Question One" chronicles the fierce and emotional battle that took place, a battle whose political symbolism is a bellwether for the greater ideological battlefield in American politics. Directors: Joseph Fox, James Nubile. (1:53) Not rated
- April 10: "Whaledreamers" (2008 documentary). Producer Julian Lennon collaborates with screenwriter/director Kim Kindersley to offer viewers a rare glimpse into a tribal culture that has endured for centuries, and whose detailed creation story revolves around whales. Extensive underwater footage serves as the visual backdrop to ancient legends that unfold to offer a fascinating glimpse into humankind's past, and a potentially dire look into our future. (1:30) Not rated
- April 24: "Earth" 2007. A feature-length version of the documentary TV series, "Planet Earth," follows the migration paths of four animal families. In "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore showed the bleak future of the planet by presenting facts backed up by documented examples. This documentary presents what might occur to our planet if we don't radically change things around, showing us Earth in all its beauty. With Patrick Stewart, James Earl Jones, Ulrich Tukur. Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield. (1:30) Rated G
- May 2: "Transamerica" (2007). A pre-operative male-to-female transsexual takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York. Bree (who was Stanley) has finally been approved for sexual reassignment surgery. But her therapist Margaret says Bree first has to deal with her 17-year-old son, Toby. With Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, Fionnula Flanagan. Director: Duncan Tucker. (1:43) Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and drug use
- May 9: "The Laramie Project" (2002 TV). Director Moises Kaufman and members of New York's Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of Matthew Shepard. This is the film version of the play they wrote based on more than 200 interviews they conducted in Laramie. It follows, and in some cases re-enacts, the chronology of Shepard's visit to a local bar, his kidnap and beating, the discovery of him tied to a fence, the vigil at the hospital, his death and funeral, and the trial of his killers. It mixes real news reports with actors portraying friends, family, cops, killers and other Laramie residents in their own words. With Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Kathleen Chalfant. (1:37) Not rated
